[extropy-chat] Fwd: Robert Anton Wilson 1932 - 2007 (2)

[Robert Bradbury]

On 1/12/07, Keith Henson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:

>
> PS.  Incidentally, the brain of his daughter Luna is in suspension.  It
> was
> a really poor suspension, she was found a day after being murdered.


Eugen might want to comment since I think he has studied this further, but I
don't think a day is not enough to significantly alter the neuronal
connection architecture significantly.  You might lose some internal cell
functionality due to protease degradation but that and a whole other set of
problems will need to be resolved for biological reanimation.  If the
neuronal connection architecture is still there, and perhaps the protein
content of the synapses, then the person is still effectively "there".
Indeed, I was thinking as the recent search for 3 climbers on Mt. Hood was
taking place, "If they are found frozen, they still aren't dead."  To the
best of my knowledge one body was found under conditions which were good for
brain preservation, and two bodies are still missing (Google doesn't seem to
fess up to the bodies being recovered).

Now, it would be interesting for Cryonics interested parties to contact the
relatives of the climbers that may as yet remain undiscovered and discuss
with them bringing the bodies back with a direct transfer to a cryonics
facility.  Presumably it would be better to do this before late spring.

Indeed, given the frequency with which mountain climbers accidentally
"suspend" themselves, I am surprised that mountain-to-facility recovery is
not a more often discussed topic.  The same might apply to who die from
drowning in relatively cold waters.

Robert

P.S. If anyone is aware of papers or books discussing the decay of the human
body, esp. the brain, under various conditions of death, creating a
web-available list or posting them here would be useful.
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